Nigga Please

Ol' Dirty Bastard, perhaps the most well-known member of Staten Island's Wu-Tang Clan, returns with the first Wu masterpiece since Wu-Tang's 1997 double-LP WU-TANG FOREVER. Whether singing, albeit slightly off-key, on the bluesy "Good Morning Heartache" or randomly shouting-out on "I Can't Wait," ODB bounces between personas and genres like a schizophrenic clown. The results, while not quite as cohesive as some efforts by his peers, are still some of the most rewarding. Although many expected a more polished product after recent guest appearances on hits such as Pras' "Ghetto Superstar" and Mariah Carey's "Fantasy," ODB sets the record straight on the first track, "Recognize," with the statement "This ain't no commercial song." The producers, including Wu leader RZA and Irv Gotti, feed ODB's subterranean sound with kinetic tracks that sample unsuspected nuggets of funk such as the "Theme From T.J. Hooker." Even though ODB occasionally can confuse the listener by attacking white rappers on one song then claiming to both black and white on the next, these contradictions are the foundation of his style. He is both madman and jester, simultaneously the most scary and beloved of the Wu Tang Clan. N***A PLEASE, like ODB, is unpredictable from start to finish.